The Mask
by Lady Starlight2
Summary: Not all masks are made of rubber and paint Harry reveals his mask to the students of Hogwarts.


LS2: Ok, this is an AU of Book 6 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!! Not even the pocket lint in my pants…darn.

THE MASK

It had been a year since Sirius died, a year since he had watched his godfather fall through that black hole of a veil. The "boy-who-lived" looked out the window of Sirius's room in 12 Grimmauld Place, trapped for the day much like his godfather was, an impassive face set upon his tanned visage. Emerald green eyes saw nothing of the hustle and bustle of the crowds below all they saw were repeating images of his godfather falling through the veil in the Ministry of Magic.

Harry sighed, today was Halloween and tonight Dumbledore was throwing a masquerade ball in Hogwarts. Everyone was required to be in costume and then at midnight they were all to unmask. For the past two weeks the ball was all anyone could talk about, at least that is what Hermione and Ron told him. He wouldn't really know if that was the truth, Dumbledore had ordered Harry to stay in the "Noble House of Black" until the party and then he could go to Hogwarts via the floo. Not the best of plans, but the headmaster really didn't want to have Harry miss the biggest dance of the year, especially if it was an almost certain bet that Voldemort would show up to crash it. Oh well.

Harry sighed again and took a glance at his watch, 10 o'clock it was time to go. The dark haired member of the infamous Gryffindor Trio trudged downstairs and took a pinch of floo powder out of an old coffee cup that oddly enough still smelled like coffee after several years and through it into the flames waiting for the tell-tale green coloring to appear before stepping in and shouting out his intended destination.

Not three seconds later, Harry tumbled out of the fireplace in the kitchens and made his way up to the Great Hall dodging Dobby as he did. Soon enough though he reached the dining hall which once again was dressed to the teeth in holiday spirit. Pumpkins were carved with eerie smiles and eyes that winked at you and live bats flew overhead. "Harry!" Two voices called out to him and Harry turned to face his three friends and yet not his friends. In front of him was a Quidditch player, from the Chudley Cannons if the bright neon orange robes were anything to tell by, and a bookworm which was just as it sounded, a worm with half of its body through a rather thick ancient tome.

"Hi, Ron, hey Hermione, great costumes." Harry replied sans enthusiasm.

"Harry mate, we DID tell you that this was a costume party, right?" Ron asked.

"Yes."

"Well, where's the costume? Don't tell me you came without one!"

"Nonsense, Ronald! Harry knows that the rules clearly state that we were to come in costume. I'm sure Harry has a reason for not wearing one, don't you Harry?" Hermione asked, if her worm costume had hands they would be on her hips right now, but as she was without the meaning of her words had to be backed up by her eyes which held an inner flame at the possibility that the boy-who-lived had broken yet another rule.

"You are absolutely right, Hermione, and you will find out in just one moment." With that said, he turned to the right and walked up to the dais where the teachers usually ate dinner and performed a charm upon himself that magnified his voice ten times. (I can't remember if it's Sonoros, or Sonorus…whatever) He cleared his throat and waited until he had everyone's attention. "Now, you are probably wondering why I am seemingly not wearing a costume like the rest of you." Harry waited for the agreements to die down before continuing. "The thing is that I AM wearing a costume. I am going as myself."

"Classic Potter, he's so vain that he would attend a costume party as himself! HAH! It figures!" Draco yelled from behind his dragon mask.

"You are wrong, Malfoy. I am not going as the boy-who-lived, or Dumbledore's weapon, or even Harry Potter. I'm here as just Harry. This, this that you see before you is my mask, one I have been wearing for a long time. This," and at this he waved a hand in front of his face as his audience watched the face of their hero transform," This is the face of just Harry." The skin was bone white lacking in color completely, and his cheeks were drawn in against the bone. His once vibrant green eyes were dull and had taken on a more cloudy color. His shiny black hair was unkempt and messier than usually, showing that he hadn't showered or combed his hair in a long time. The overall result was a walking skeleton. "I am sick of having to be behind a mask all the time. It is time for this Halloween to be over." With a sigh he took out his wand, touched it to his temple and whispered the killing curse.

The entire Great Hall erupted into screams as the boy-who-lived committed suicide right in front of them. Dumbledore was the first to reach Harry's body. Hoping against hope that the boy had survived he checked his pulse, and found none. The boy-who-lived, was now the boy-who-died. Dumbledore sighed, there had been a lot of that tonight, and picked up the frail deceased child. The last words anybody heard from the Headmaster before he left the Great Hall was this: "Not all masks are made of rubber and paint, not all masks are fake, no mask can truly change the person behind them."

THE END

LS2- I just realized that in all the stories I have written someone dies. It's weird….oh well! Do you see the little blue button on the bottom of the page? Do you know what it is saying? It's saying: PUSH ME AND REVIEW!!! Good reviews will be greatly appreciated; flames will be put out with my fire extinguisher unless they have any merit to them. Ok, review please!!


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